Family Affairs
by Yukari Rin
Summary: Written for niennasilimaure on livejournal for the HanaKimi fic community's secret Santa exchange. Hokuto, Minami, and some Io.


**Title:** "Family (Affairs)"  
**Author:** Yukari Rin   
**Fandom:** _Hanazakari no Kimitachi he_  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Hokuto and Minami, with some Io.  
**Rating:** K+  
**Notes:** For Niennasilimaure on livejournal. Written for a secret Santa exchange challenge.  
**Spoilers:** This is set after the events in the "Lover's Name" bonus story in volume six, so spoilers if you aren't familiar with it. Possibly AU-ish.  
**Word Count:** 878  
**Disclaimer:** _Hanazakari no Kimitachi he_ and related properties belong to Hisaya Nakajo and related parties.

"Family (Affairs)"

Hokuto sighs once more as his older sister continues speaking (or ranting, as he thought it sounded like). He glances at the clock on his wall and swings his feet off of his desk, sitting up in his chair. "Io, please get to the point. I've got one minute left to my break and I haven't even gotten lunch yet since you called me right before I was able to leave.

"There's something wrong with Minami and I want you to find out what it is!"

He sighs again, this time mentally. "And will I get anything in return for finding out for you?" He all ready knows what's troubling his nephew but why tell his sister unless he can get something in return.

"What do you want?" she asks, the irritation clear.

"Summer will be here before we know it, and I'd like at least a week off from working at the inn, and when I say a week, I mean consecutive days, dearest sister." He's looking at his calendar now, already open to the week he has in mind.

"Fine, deal," she tell him. "But the deal is off if you don't find out within a week."

He opens his mouth to protest, but she's already hung up. (Bless her heart; the second hand passes twelve o'clock as he hears the first beep through the earpiece. Exactly one minute.) He sighs and adjusts his glasses as he stretches. One week to find out something that he all ready knows. He muses on whether or not he should tell her right away, or if he should speak to Minami so he wouldn't have to risk Io finding out he lied to her.

His chance comes relatively soon, the next day. Minami comes in from his physical education class with a scraped knee. He largely ignores his uncle as the bespectacled man cleans the cut and sticks a bandage on it. It is only the squeak of his chair that tells Minami that his uncle is done.

"No preaching today?" he asks, surprised.

"I thought it'd kill the mood you had so nicely set up," is the bored reply.

Minami narrows his eyes and lowers his injured leg. "That's stopped you before?"

"No, and if it were any other student or person here I'd tell them to suck it up and pay more attention so that I wouldn't have to take care of them."

"But you're not saying that to me because... I'm your nephew?"

"Oh please, that doesn't mean anything here, Minami," he looks at the younger boy over the frame of his glasses. "I just happen to know of your situation and since I feel partly responsible I decided not to hound you is all." He looks back to his desk and makes his short report on the doctoring he just did.

"You're not doing it because you feel sorry for me?" Minami's eyes shoot up.

"Don't get used to it, Minami. It's only this time. If it happens again you're just like everybody else."

"Thanks," the student replies quietly. He doesn't get up to leave, though. The room remains quiet for a few moments before Minami takes a breath. "Have you or any of your friends heard from her?" he asks, almost childlike.

Hokuto puts down his pen and looks at the visibly depressed teen. "No."

Minami sighs and wears a sad attempt of a smile. "I see. Then I was right, it's because of me."

"Minami-"

"It's all right, uncle. I'll be fine soon. Tell my mom not to worry, please." Minami stands and looks at the bandage on his knee.

"How'd you know she spoke to me about you?" Hokuto asks, somewhat surprised. Io had sounded like she wants it to be a secret.

"She was mutter as she chopped the vegetables for supper the other night. Something about you and vacation and needing to find someone to fill in for you for a week."

So she was planning on keeping her promise... he better keep his, then. "Well, you're all fixed up now, thanks to me, so get back to class or I'll mark you as never having come to me."

Minami laughs and waves as he jogs carefully out of the doctor's office. Hokuto waits until he is certain the boy is a ways away before picking up his phone and calling his sister. She answers on the first ring. "I just spoke to Minami," he tells her lazily.

"And?" she replies quickly.

"Give him some time, Io. You know what a first heart break is like."

She is silent and then sighs. "I had a feeling that's what it was. He was doing so well the last little while before high school, I was worried when he was falling back to old habits."

"Nothing near it, Io. He'll be all right soon enough. I dare say he's inherited our family's genes that seemed to have skipped over you, and that he'll be extremely popular with the ladies once he puts some muscle on him."

His sister sputters for a few moments before telling him he's a nuisance. "Did he happen to say who the girl was, Hokuto?" The question is innocent enough, but he isn't stupid.

"No, he didn't," he lies.


End file.
